


Peace

by kiyala



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 15:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10596972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: After Ganon has been defeated, Zelda finally has time to breathe, and to have a much-needed conversation with Impa.





	

The sun rises, bringing the first day of proper peace. Putting Hyrule back together after it was ravaged by Ganon has not been an easy task and it's one that Zelda knows will take time. She's done what she can for now, providing aid to those whose homes have been destroyed, finding places for them to stay while the damaged parts of Castle Town are repaired. She's put more of a focus on building and keeping strong relationships with the leaders of the other races in Hyrule so they can band together for help much quicker, should the need ever arise again. 

The kingdom is finally settling into something safe and thriving once again and it feels like Zelda is coming up for air, her days no longer filled with meetings and public addresses. It feels like she can finally rest, taking her time in the morning to prepare herself for the day instead of rushing to make herself presentable while being briefed on what she needs to do.

It also means that Impa is free of all of the rush too, but instead of taking the time to rest in her room, she's at Zelda's door, quietly knocking before she lets herself in.

At the very least, she looks more relaxed now. Her brow is smooth, free of the frown lines for the first time in far too long, and there's a light smile to her lips as she regards Zelda, who sits on the edge of her bed, wearing a simple dress without any armour or royal insignia.

"I came to check that you weren't overworking yourself," Impa says, walking to the desk by Zelda's window, fingers brushing over the thick book that Zelda has taken from the library, about sealing magic. Impa's fingers move to settle on the hairbrush sitting on the desk beside it. "Come here, Princess."

Zelda stands, walking to her chair, and smiles as Impa pulls it out for her. "I can move my own chair, can't I?"

"Indulge me."

Zelda chuckles, sitting down. "By letting you indulge me?"

"My duty is to be of help to you," Impa replies mildly, picking up Zelda's brush. "Let me find a way to be helpful."

Zelda shuts her eyes, content to let Impa gather her hair in one hand, pulling it over the back of her chair. It's been a very long time since Impa has brushed her hair, but Zelda has always enjoyed it. This isn't any different. She can feel herself relaxing at the first pass of the brush through her hair, letting her breath out in a long exhale.

"That's what I wanted to see," Impa murmurs as she continues to brush Zelda's hair. "Breath. Relax. You deserve it, but more importantly… you _need_ it. You've been pushing yourself hard ever since Ganon was defeated. No, since even before then too. You've been standing tall in the face of danger, if not as yourself, then… as Sheik."

Zelda sighs softly, relaxing back into her chair. She's been wondering when this conversation would come up. She knows that Impa has wanted to talk about it ever since Lake Hylia, in another version of Hyrule, on the other side of a portal. They haven't had the opportunity, with much more pressing matters at hand, and so Impa has waited patiently all this time until they've had the time to talk about it.

Even since Zelda has finished the majority of her public addresses, she's been waiting for Impa to finally bring it up. Still, Impa has waited. Even now, she isn't being direct. It makes Zelda wonder if Impa is waiting for her to say something first, but she doesn't know what it is that Impa wants to hear and doesn't even know if she wants to simply appease Impa instead of having a proper conversation with her about this. For Zelda's entire life, she and Impa have always had an understanding of each other. It's always been easy for them to communicate, no matter what they were feeling.

It seems different now, and Zelda wonders if it's because of her—because of Sheik and the purpose that persona served for her while the kingdom was being attacked. Whatever it is that Impa feels about the Sheik disguise, Zelda can tell that it's complex. It's not something she's been able to easily read through Impa's expression, and that's something new as well. It's a little uncomfortable, when Zelda is so used to knowing everything about Impa, and she thinks about the fact that it's most likely a discomfort that goes both ways.

"To be honest," Impa tells her, "I'm not entirely sure how I feel about… Sheik."

"As a disguise?" Zelda asks. "Or as a person?"

Impa exhales slowly. "Both. You disappeared, Princess. Without a trace. I have so many questions that I don't even know where I want to begin."

"I created Sheik in advance," Zelda says, knowing that it will answer at least one of Impa's questions. "I felt that it might be useful, should I ever find myself in a situation where I wasn't likely to escape without a difficult fight I wasn't guaranteed to win."

"You experimented with Sheikah transformation magic without my guidance?"

"I wasn't aware that I had to report to you every time I used Sheikah magic," Zelda replies. "I haven't, since you decided that I was done with training. Has that suddenly changed, without my knowing?"

"No," Impa replies, soft and reluctant. She brushes the length of Zelda's hair, then sets the hairbrush down and repeats the action with her fingers, slower this time.

"Then what is the issue, Impa?" Zelda prompts, keeping her voice even.

"It's just…" Impa sighs quietly. "I don't recall raising you to lie to me."

"You didn't _raise_ me at all," Zelda replies, and she looks over her shoulder this time, her hair slipping from Impa's fingers. "We aren't that far apart in age, for all that you act like you're as old as the legendary sages themselves. Do you think yourself to be my mother?"

Impa's posture immediately stiffens. "Of course not. I would never presume a thing like that, but I have been your mentor and teacher in most things, Princess."

"And your lessons _did_ cover deception. I recall that. Are you upset that I deceived you, specifically? That you couldn't see through it?"

Impa shifts uncomfortably, an indication that Zelda has touched upon the truth. "I knew that Sheik, for all he was claiming to be, was suspicious. I did not realise that it was you, though it feels obvious in retrospect. I should have been able to figure it out."

"You know what they say about hindsight," Zelda murmurs. "If you were being watched by the enemy and you treated Sheik familiarly, I might have been discovered."

"Instead, you made me doubt him. _You_. I didn't trust this man, claiming to be a member of the clan I am the leader of. It was such an obvious lie that it was almost insulting that I was expected to fall for it. That was part of your plan too, wasn't it? To tell a lie so bad that it perfectly concealed a different truth."

Zelda smiles. "I'm sorry for using it on you, but there isn't anyone else in the world that I could have pulled it off with as successfully as I did with you."

"Oh," Impa says in a low voice, her thumbs pressing along the nape of Zelda's neck firmly, rubbing back and forth in a way that feels affectionate. "Don't you try to flatter me now."

"It's working, isn't it?" Zelda asks, tilting her head forward so Impa has easier access to her neck. She shuts her eyes, sighing as Impa's hands move to her shoulders, massaging them firmly.

"You," Impa says with fond exasperation, "will make a wonderful, clever, queen."

"I learned from my mentor," Zelda laughs, then gasps as Impa's fingers find a point of tension in her back.

"I could tell that you weren't letting yourself get enough rest," Impa murmurs, pressing down a little firmer. "You don't need to act as though you shoulder the weight of all Hyrule by yourself."

"I know that I don't," Zelda replies, consciously making an effort to relax. "For starters, I'm sure that Link shoulders more than I do."

"Both of you have heavy burdens to bear," Impa sighs, massaging the tension out of Zelda's back. "You've been given roles by destiny and I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel. There must be an additional pressure that comes with that. Link's work is over now, though. There are no more battles for him to fight, and now your work has begun to slow down as well. I think you _both_ could do with learning how to allow yourselves the time to recover from everything that has been demanded of you."

"It doesn't feel right to just rest, though," Zelda murmurs, shaking her head. "We need to be better prepared, should this situation ever arise again. We need to make sure that the right things have been put into place so we aren't thrown all over the place."

"You can do that after you've rested." Impa's voice is firm. "You're allowed to celebrate your victory. You're allowed to recuperate. If you don't take the time for that, then you're only going to fall quicker the next time. I'm sure I've taught you that, too." 

Nodding reluctantly, Zelda lets her shoulders slump. "You're right. You're often right." 

"Yes I am," Impa agrees, pulling her hands away. "Now. I don't think I'm entirely finished asking you about Sheik."

"No, I didn't think you would be. That requires a longer conversation, doesn't it?" Zelda is glad that at least now that it's begun, it will be easier to continue. Impa seems to be willing to let it keep going, which means that they don't need to wait for another opportunity, to wade through the awkwardness of dealing with a conversation that neither of them really know how to bring up, or how to navigate. 

"I'm not angry with you for your deception," Impa tells her, stepping back and taking a seat on the edge of Zelda's bed. Zelda turns her chair around so that they're facing each other, but Impa looks down at her hands, keeping her gaze on them as she continues. "I can understand why you felt that it was necessary and I can't fault you for it. I suppose that in a way, I'm still recovering from the entire situation in my own way."

"Recovering?" Zelda asks. 

"Princess," Impa's voice is gentle and when she looks up to meet Zelda's gaze, her eyes are soft and fond, but they carry something else in them. _Sadness_ , Zelda thinks, but she can't quite place why. "When you disappeared after Hyrule was attacked, I didn't know what to think. I refused to believe that you were dead but even when we searched, there was no trace left of you. I couldn't think of where you could have gone, or _how_. I was worried for you, and I felt like I'd failed you. It's my responsibility to keep you safe, after all, and I couldn't do that. Even when you were telling me that you felt something was coming, I couldn't properly prepare myself to step in and keep you from harm."

"But you were prepared to help Link fulfil his duty," Zelda points out. "I don't think that you failed anyone at all."

Impa shakes her head. "Only in the larger scale of things. At the very core of matters, you are my priority. You are the one thing I care about most in this entire world, Zelda, and not knowing where you were, not having any idea of how I could help you…" 

"Oh," Zelda says softly. She stands, crossing the small space between them and takes Impa's hand into both of her own. "I have caused you a lot of worry, haven't I?"

"Again, I'm not faulting you," Impa replies, curling her fingers against Zelda's. "Perhaps it's my own problem to deal with. The concern, I could deal with. The guilt, should anything have happened to you, had I failed to stop something terrible…" 

Zelda drops her gaze to their hands, tightening her grip. "And here I was, coming along as Sheik, claiming to be someone you knew I wasn't, while you were still processing everything else…" 

"I wish that I could have had some way of knowing you were safe," Impa sighs. "Knowing that you were beside me all along while I was worrying for your safety, while I was dismissing _Sheik_ because I didn't trust him, not caring about anything other than finding you, when you were already there. I'm glad that you were safe all along. I'm glad that you were in my company, even if I didn't know it at the time." 

Sitting down on the bed beside Impa, Zelda squeezes her hand a little tighter. "I am glad that I could be with you, even as Sheik. I'm sorry for worrying you while taking comfort in your presence at the same time."

Smiling, Impa rests their shoulders against each other. "At the very least, I'm glad that I was able to help you in some way, even without realising." 

"I'll be more direct in my approach next time," Zelda murmurs.

"Hopefully, there won't have to _be_ a next time," Impa chuckles. "You need to stop thinking ahead and focus on the present for a while, Zelda. You've been looking into the future since your dreams started. Enjoy this peace. You've won it for the entire kingdom, you deserve to bask in it as well."

"I am, in a way. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to sit with you like this otherwise, to talk to you, the way that we both have wanted for so long. I don't remember the last time we've had the chance to sit and talk at our own pace without having to attend to other duties."

Impa's expression softens at that and Zelda notices that their hands are still clasped together. She doesn't pull her hand away, especially not when Impa's thumb is idly stroking over the back of her hand. It occurs to her, though, that perhaps this is another conversation that they haven't had the time for either. 

It something that she hasn't had much time to think about at all, constantly pushing it to the back of her mind to focus on more pressing matters. Impa has always been a source of comfort and strength for her and that much has never required very much thought at all. The rest, however, are feelings she's never thought to separate from what they've always had with each other. 

"Zelda?" Impa asks, raising an eyebrow. 

Looking away, Zelda feels her cheeks grow warm at the very thought of sharing her thoughts at this moment. She doesn't think she's quite ready for that yet, but she suddenly knows what she's going to be using her sudden abundance of time for. 

Beside her, Impa laughs softly and tugs gently on Zelda's hand. She waits for Zelda to meet her gaze, then raises an eyebrow. "For someone who fooled me with a poorly made disguise, you're terrible at hiding things from me the rest of the time." 

"Am I?" Zelda asks, blinking. She's still not entirely sure that this is something that she wants to talk about, but Impa seems to understand that from a glance. 

"Clearly, you're good at hiding things when you're actually trying to. It makes me wonder if perhaps, you don't really want to hide this particular thought at all." Impa lifts their joined hands to her lips, kissing the back of Zelda's hand. "There's no rush to sort this out immediately. We have no shortage of time."

Zelda smiles at that, letting go of Impa's hand to cup her cheek instead. Impa turns her head into the touch, her eyes shut, expression content. There's no one in the entire kingdom that Zelda would rather have by her side, when Impa has been her closest friend for her entire life, not that far apart in age and a leader in her own right, even if it's on a much smaller scale when compared to being the head of the Hylian royal family. Impa understands her, better than anyone else ever would. 

This sort of thing is worth taking her time with, Zelda thinks to herself. It needs patience and care, so that she can make sure that she's approaching it in the right way. Impa doesn't deserve anything less than that.

"I don't want to make you feel as though you're waiting for me, though," Zelda murmurs. "That would be unfair, on my part."

"I've barely had the time to think about it myself, with everything else that was demanding my attention before now," Impa replies. "The time would be welcome, and as I said, there's no rush. You aren't making me wait at all. Would you like me to leave you with your thoughts for now?"

"No," Zelda replies immediately, taking Impa's hand again and holding on tight. "I can spend my time as I wish for the first time in far too long. I'd like to spend that time with you, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't," Impa replies, giving her a fond smile. "There's nothing I would like more, Zelda. We can spend our day sitting together in the library and reading, if that's what you would like."

That makes Zelda laugh. "You know me far too well."

"Perhaps," Impa nods, stroking her fingers through Zelda's hair. "But I know what makes you happy, and it aligns quite nicely with the things that make me happy as well."

"Don't we make a good pair, then?" Zelda asks with a smile, leaning into Impa's side. 

"I think so," Impa agrees. She wraps an arm around Zelda and holds her close.

Closing her eyes, Zelda lets herself enjoy this. She doesn't need to hide under any disguises any longer, doesn't have to worry about anything, and doesn't need to be anywhere else at the moment but with Impa. She'll take her time enjoying this as much as she can.


End file.
